A Basket Filled With Love
by iloveromance
Summary: When Sally delivers a special gift to Jack Skellington, the man she secretly adores, it turns out to be more wonderful than she anticipated. A very short continuation of the "basket scene" from the movie.


_**A/N: Again another "Nightmare" story that should have been posted before Halloween but actually didn't transpire until after the holiday had passed. Comments are appreciated and thanks for reading! **_

The plan was a simple one; to try and get Jack Skellington's attention. It was, perhaps a selfish and useless task, for Jack never really noticed her. But it was worth a try. In the laboratory the scientist worked diligently on his new creation, allowing her a rare moment of freedom; freedom that would allow her to work on her project alone.

She set to work, filling a basket with things that she hoped that Jack would love; fish scales and a bottle of his favorite drink. And something else…

A concoction she created all on her own. It was simple yet sweet, just like her plan. The scent from the liquid was heavenly and she knew it would make him smile. Who wouldn't smile at the appearance of a butterfly, released as soon as the bottle was opened?

When everything was ready, she packed it into a basket and snuck out of the lab. The walk to Jack's home high in the tower wasn't long and it was easy to throw a rope to the window with which to hoist the basket. Slowly she pulled on the rope, moving the basket higher and higher, and when it finally reached his window, it swayed gently, banging against the glass. She watched in awe and slight hesitation as the window opened, causing the butterfly to appear before floating out of the window. Her heart skipped a beat. He'd opened the bottle.

And then his face appeared. He looked down and saw her, smiling as he waved. But suddenly she was embarrassed and hurried back to her hiding place behind the fence. It was there that she slumped to the ground, softly stroking her scrawny black cat.

"Sally?"

She stood at once, gasping at the sound of his voice, and turned to him, embarrassed that her hiding place had been found.

"Jack…. What are you doing here?"

"I came to… thank you…. For the basket and-."

"Oh… It was nothing. I just thought…"

"I saw you, standing outside of the window… on the ground of course. I waved to you and you waved back."

She looked down at her feet. "Yes."

"Sally, why did you run away? Are you afraid of me?"

She laughed nervously. "Don't be silly, Jack. Why would I be afraid?"

"I don't know. It is of course our job to frighten people, I take great pleasure in it, but I never intended-."

"I'm not afraid, I'm just…"

"What?"

"Jack, why did you come to find me?"

He looked at her blankly. "I thought I told you. I wanted to thank you."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Well, yes."

Her heart deflated, she sighed. "Oh…"

"You look disappointed. Why?"

"I'm sorry. I should just go."

"Sally, wait! Please! I-." She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm, causing it to tear off. "Oh dear… I am sorry, I-."

She smiled and reached into her pocket, producing a needle. "It's all right. I can fix it." She slumped to the ground and began sewing her arm back in place, breaking the thread and knotting it when she was satisfied with her work. But just for good measure, she moved her raggedy arm around. Perfect. If only her life could be-

"May I… Sit next to you? I think we should talk."

"Oh… Well, okay."

He slumped down next to her. "Sally, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"No, of course not. Why would you ask?"

"Because I… Are you crying?"

God, she was crying… but she couldn't admit it. What would he think? And instead of being truthful she lied. "No, I-."

"Sally, what's wrong? Have I hurt you?"

"No, I… Oh Jack I wish I could tell you the reason I made you that basket, but I can't! I-."

He was looking deeply into her eyes now and in his dark huge eyes she saw something she'd never seen before. A realization. He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. "Sally, I never realized… I mean, why didn't you say anything?"

"I-."

He smiled and took her hand. "Would you like to come in for a drink? There's plenty of liquid in the bottle for two."

Her heart fluttered once more and she took his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. "I'd like that. Thank you, Jack."

Hand in hand they made their way to his home high in the tower. And she hoped that this was the beginning of something truly wonderful.

THE END


End file.
